Orlando Magic Still Face Dwight Howard's Future Heading into New Era

Well, they will have a new head coach pacing the sidelines and a new general manager running the show.

The Magic announced Monday that both head coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith would not return next season.

Firing Van Gundy was expected as he and Dwight Howard clashed this season with the whole trade saga looming over the team until trade deadline day. Additionally, after Van Gundy announced Howard wants him fired during a team shootaround—which Howard quickly said was not true—the relationship between the two got even more awkward.

Otis Smith made changes to the Magic, but one of his biggest failures was bringing the monster contract of Gilbert Arenas on board, which did not work out for Orlando. Arenas was clearly not the same player after undergoing three knee surgeries despite being paid like one from a previous contract extension he was offered when as a member of the Washington Wizards.

As a result, Magic CEO Alex Martins was put in charge of player movement this season and made the ultimate decision to keep Howard in town with hopes of rebuilding around the big man.

The Magic will probably scout the market and look to bring in experienced candidates for both the general manager and head coach positions. They may wait until the postseason ends as more candidates could become available.

However, an even bigger question still remains: Is Dwight Howard going to stay in Orlando for the long term?

This will determine what the next era will look like in Orlando starting in 2012-13.